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When do you think Apple will pull the rug out from under you again?
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Yep and I know one high end co in the UK that has lost a lot of work because it’s two year old ingest system couldn’t handle 1080 25p, only 50i.
Seriously, 5 years – in this industry now? Your kidding right?
Don’t know where your based so not sure if you heard about the BBC’s DMI project? The idea was that everything should be online and accessible from where-ever. The BBC decided to build a bespoke system because 5 years ago it didn’t exist. 5 years later on and its doable with off the shelf hardware for a lot less than the £100M the BBC put into the project.
That’s how fast the tech is moving today.
A public service broadcaster could get away with that – a facilities not so much.
Michael Sanders
London Based DP/Editor -
You’d have a point if Apple did this every year- they don’t. If that’s they way you read it that’s your issue.
Firewire to Thunderbolt- A DECADE.
40-pin dock connector to Lightning connector – 11 YEARS.
Major NLE switch- A DECADE.
Mac Processor switch- TWICE IN 35 YEARS -
The law of diminishing returns is upon us. ESPN is cancelling its channel with 3D content for instance. Sometimes – even as exciting as the tech is – it’s really not a necessity. That’s just a casual example.
Rock on!
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Hi Jim –
the answer to your question is “every 3 to 4 years”. And this does not only apply to Apple – it’s every technology company. I know very well, that large companies want a “10 year investment”. Or I hear people say “how can I future proof my purchase”. Again – simple answer – you CANT future proof your investment. The only good investement is a good chair, a good desk, a good lamp, and good AC outlet strips (and if you are big – good quality racks). All technology will wind up in the dumpster within 3 – 4 years. It is amazing that a Mac Pro 3,1 from 2008 is still useful today. All the old linear gear from yesteryear is only good for playing back archive tapes, and that stuff cost a FORTUNE. It is inconceivable to many young editors that a single VTR costs between $15,000 and $100,000 dollars, and you “had” to have one. Today, people cry over spending $200 bucks for a disk drive.And speaking of disk drives, do you know that in 2014, we will see the beginning of 12g drive technology. So in the same way that Apple “pulled the rug out” from the G5 with PCIx slots to the Mac Pro with PCIe slots (and of course, the old 1,1 and 2,1 are 32 bit only, so you have to have a 2008 or later Mac Pro) – with the new drives, you will have compatibility issues, no different than we had when 6g drives were released in early 2011, and all the “old” 3g drives were too slow, and not compatibile with many host controller cards. And of course, dramatically faster. And remember – 6g only came out in 2011, and now it will be 2014, when the dramatically faster 12g drives (and arrays, and host controller cards) will be out. 3 years – that is not a long time to have a “new” yet obsolete disk drive array.
SO – who will complain ? Will AJA, Blackmagic, Matrox, ATTO, Areca, Magma, Sonnet, etc. complain ? OF COURSE NOT – they get to sell new products that will work wonderfully with the new Mac’s. The only people that will complain is US, because we are the suckers that keep buying into this crap. And all of this applies to cameras and production gear as well. In the stone age, you bought your ARRI film camera, and kept it your entire career. Now, the RED ONE comes out a few years ago, and now it’s obsolete.
So yea, if you don’t like this fact, you should not be in this business. And when I hear this crap from larger firms video departments, I always say “tell your accountants that the Windows operating system that you are running your accounting software on will soon no longer run the exact same companies new accounting software, so you will either do a PC upgrade for your entire accounting department, or you will not be able to do your job, and you will get FIRED !”. It’s 2013 – is there a single accountant working on a 1995, 1996 PC ? It’s across the board – not just our little segment of the business.
Don’t like this fact ? Buy a meat slicing machine, and open up a deli, because that meat slicing machine will cut turkey and ham for over 10 years, and you don’t need to worry about a new one in 3 years.
Bob Zelin
Bob Zelin
Rescue 1, Inc.
maxavid@cfl.rr.com -
These aren’t the Droids your looking for…
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[claps]
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Good post Bob Zelin.
In the end – what about the art? Huh? Honestly the most beautiful paintings I’ve ever laid eyes on are those 30 thousand year old scribbles at Chauvet Cave.
Maybe we take our tools a little too serious at the expense of creativity.
P.S Bob, maybe you shouldn’t be in the business if you can’t tell a compelling story unless you have the latest gadget from Apple. LOL
Rock on!
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Most FCP X editors I know here in Germany, still have their Legacy Systems. I still have my G5 FCP 6 in my workroom.
Most companies I know keep their Legacy Stuff and simply add the new.For example: I’ve been freelancing for DW-TV in Berlin for 12 years now. When I started out in 2001 they were still using A/B roll editing, we started using Avid only for sound recording in 2002, then everything was changed. As of this year tape is pretty much dead. However if you need to dub UMatic at the DW, no problem. VJ at the Welle edit with Avid, Premiere, FCP Legacy and X. All TV stations in Germany take Apple ProRes.
About 6 months after X came out one of Germany’s major Private TV stations Pro7 stopped taking tapes, since then only Apple ProRes, the postproduction where I edit Pro7 stuff, still uses Legacy, Avid and Premiere.
I just don’t see how apple has made life harder for anyone. For those who don’t like it, FCP 7 still works perfectly fine.
If it hadn’t been for Apple, many of us wouldn’t have bee able to afford our own editing systems, and since X came out I’ve been working more than ever, using Avid Newscutter, Legacy and X about the same amount of time each month.
“Always look on the bright side of life” – Monty Python
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That’s a beautiful straw man you built for yourself.
Be careful with matches.
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Funny you would mention some good old fashioned technology like matches.
Rock on!
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